Tweet Roundup!
Each Friday, we round up the best paper and sustainability tweets. Enjoy!
The Reading Brain in The Digital Age: The Science of Paper versus Screens bit.ly/11YSnLy
— Scientific American (@sciam) April 11, 2013
“I believe what’s on the paper, not on the screen.” —Susan Howe tpr.ly/12TQkv5
— The Paris Review (@parisreview) April 11, 2013
Turn a piece of paper into an iPhone stand with this easy, practical origami project. ow.ly/jWPTZ
— Snapguide (@Snapguide) April 11, 2013
on keeping a notebook (paper!)in the digital age bit.ly/152J2Rd
— Michael Nobbs (@michaelnobbs) April 11, 2013
The Recycling Journey: a look at what happens once the recycling taken from the curb bit.ly/17qRIFc #EarthDay
— ShareMyLesson (@sharemylesson) April 11, 2013
A public space recycling program from @greenercorners that relies on people power, not just great designbit.ly/12B72it
— GOOD(@GOOD) April 9, 2013
Did you know you can #recycle packing peanuts? mnatu.re/Zb0OOE – Here are 19 other things you may not know you can recycle
— PlanetGreen.com (@PlanetGreen) April 4, 2013
A Multiple Personality Solution
Hi, there – It’s Milton Pant, VP of the office green team, reporting for duty! It’s been a while since we last discussed tactics to thwart the office printing offenders. While a lot of the tactics we previously used have helped these folks curb the paper wasting, there are additional things we could be doing to help with overall office sustainability. And wouldn’t you know it? I have come up with a new weapon for our sustainability arsenal.
I call it “the draft printer for the daft printer!” What is it? Well, besides brilliant, it’s a great option for your office to reuse not only your office paper supply, but also derelict printing technology that may be gathering some dust. By converting a printer to “draft printer” status, it can keep discarded paper and an idled printer from out of a landfill.
Here’s how it works:
- Find a printer that’s old or being phased out and designate it as the “draft printer” in an announcement to coworkers. It should be used for the printing of emails, draft documents or other preliminary works that don’t require professional, finished appeal. And remember; be sure to encourage your coworkers to recycle the reused paper once they have finished with it!
- Load the printer with paper that has previously been printed on and discarded, so that the draft printer can print on the unused, blank side of the paper.
- Set a box near the recycling bin for coworkers to deposit paper in for loading the draft printer. This box should advise to deposit only paper that is still blank on one side.
- Watch the printing use begin! As the paper gets low on reusable paper, restock it from the designated reusable paper box.
Pretty simple, right? It may take a while for all of the printing personalities in your office to get used to it, but we’ve found that even the Distracted Diva and the Waster can get on board with this new system.
Your coworkers will begin to see the sustainable lifecycle of a piece of paper as they use it from new sheet, to reused draft printout, and lastly, it’s chance for renewal in the recycling bin.
What are some sustainability initiatives that you’ve tried in your own office? Were they successful? We’d love to hear about it. And, if you decide to try the “draft printer” tactic, let us know how it goes!
Sincerely,
Milton Pant, Vice President of the Office Green Team
Sustainability Trends of 2013
1. Corporate social responsibility (CSR) is no longer a nice-to-have for major brands and companies
Corporate social responsibly is still a relatively nascent term, but its importance to brand image has never been greater. Read more…
INTER-OFFICE MEMO: It’s All in the Details
By Milton Pant, VP of the office green team
First off, I’d just like to say that whoever left the slimy fast food taco wrapper on my desk with the “Recycle THIS, Smarty Pants” note on it—you aren’t funny. Read more…
The enforcer, the avenger. The defender of the Earth and a hero of the people
To some, I am merely Milton Pant, Vice President of the office Green Team.
But we all have our roles. And me? I’m not only the four-time winner of the office “tidiest desk” contest, but it’s my voice heralding the latest sustainability news at our quarterly staff meetings. So, basically, I’m saving the world—one green initiative at a time. You’re welcome.
And like any superhero, I have my opponents to battle. Like those coworkers who are too busy or tired to follow the office Green Guidelines—the ones avoiding responsibility and wasting in their individual ways. I’ve even given them all nicknames: the sneaker, the abandoner, the over-printer, the distracted diva and—my personal nemesis— the waster (who has taken to convincing people to call me “Smarty Pants” on account of my last name).
But, I’m sure you have encountered some of the same sustainability villains in your own office.
Today, I’ll introduce you to two of them:
Profile: The Sneaker
This one becomes suddenly engrossed in her work when she hears talk that the printer is empty. She ignores the “add paper” and “low toner” warnings when she sees them without even telling anyone. You’ve probably seen her take the last of the coffee without refilling it, too. Shockingly, she seems to never get paper cuts, but more than that, she seems to have an uncanny ability to disappear when it’s her responsibility for an office task.
Profile: The Abandoner
He perpetually leaves his printouts on the printer. He doesn’t even try and hide it, blatantly, needlessly, leaves presentations, personal correspondence and email after email—Just. Sitting. There. His hands are virtually unsmudged by toner and ink, and I swear that you couldn’t even catch him in the printer/copier room with a hidden camera—I mean not that I’ve already tried that or anything.
So how do we face these opponents – these sustainability villains – in our battle? Well, I think I did it. I figured it out. And it’s all about responsibility.
Stay tuned for next week, when I head off into the heat of battle—right into the depths of the dark side—defending sustainability on behalf of all humankind! I’ll work on converting the Sneaker and Abandoner while providing you with tips on how you can convert your own office villains back from the dark side.
